sales order - duplicate customer PO numbers

Hi there, @Becky2019.

You can go to the Preferences and turn on the Warn about duplicate purchase order numbers option from there. This way, you'll receive a warning if PO numbers are entered twice. Let me guide you through the steps.

1. In your QuickBooks Desktop, go to the Edit menu and select Preferences.
2. In the Preferences window, select Items & Inventory from the left panel.
3. Go to the Company Preferences.
4. Put a checkmark in the Warn about duplicate purchase order numbers option.
5. Click OK to save the settings.

However, if you want to get a warning for duplicate sales order numbers, you can go to the Sales & Customer section from the Preferences window. Here's how:

1. In the Preferences window, go to the Sales & Customers section.
2. Go to the Company Preferences.
3. Put a checkmark Warn about duplicate sales order numbers option.
4. Click OK.

Just in case you want to use the purchase order management worksheet in the future, you can check out this article for more guidance: Use the purchase order management worksheet.

Please let me know if you need clarification about this, or there's anything else I can do for you. I'll be standing by for your response. Have a great day.

My question is about  a warning for duplicate purchase orders FROM THE CUSTOMER.

This solution gives a warning if I create two Purchase Orders with the same number. What I’m looking for is a warning if, when entering a sales order, I am entering a duplicate purchase order number from that customer.

Thank you for getting back here in Intuit Community, @Becky2019.

Yes, you're right. The first solution provided by my colleague will give a warning if you create two purchase orders with the same number. 

Since you need it for duplicate purchase orders from the customer, you can follow the 2nd solution. The steps provided will warn you of duplicate sales order numbers.

If you need an easier workflow for your sales orders, you can check out this helpful guide: Use the Sales Order Fulfillment Worksheet.

Stay in touch with us if you have other questions. I'll be here to keep helping whenever you need additional assistance.
 

I don't think you're understanding my question.  The issue is the customer's purchase order number (a field on our sales order).  If for whatever reason someone tries to process the customer's PO twice (create separate sales orders for the same purchase order), I would expect a warning (similar to what I get in a/p if I try to enter the vendor's invoice number twice).  Is there a way to do that?

I appreciate you for sharing the details with us, @Becky2019.

Purchase Order (PO) and Sales Order (SO) are different types of transactions and both custom-able. Thus, QuickBooks does not prompt you if the PO number of that customer is used for the SO transaction.

As a workaround, you can consider looking for a third-party app that has the feature you need. You can go to the App Center and search for an app from there. 

Also, I encourage checking our Income and expenses page to learn some tips and best practices in managing your income.

Please let me know by leaving a comment if you need anything else. I'm always around to assists you. Have a great day and stay healthy!

I have this same issue.  It has now happened twice.  The customer order gets entered twice and shipped twice.

If this is ever solved through QuickBooks, please let me know also.

Great to have you in the Community space, Beth.

I'll make sure you can seamlessly manage your customer orders in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT).

To begin with, you'll want to ensure your QBDT is up-to-date. This way, we can guarantee the system is running with the latest patches and fixes. Let me show you how.

1. Go to the Help menu and select Update QuickBooks Desktop.
2. Select the Update Now tab. 
3. Click Get Updates to start the download.
4. When the download finishes, restart QuickBooks and accept the option to install the new release when prompted.

If the issue persists, I recommend running the Verify Rebuild tool. This scans your company file for errors and fixes them right away.

I've also added these articles that can walk you through the steps in managing your receivables: 
 

• Create an invoice in QuickBooks Desktop
• Record an invoice payment

Please don't hesitate to let me know if you need more help with your customers' orders and invoices. It's always my pleasure to assist you. Have a good one!

You could use the customer PO number as your SO number. That would create a warning when you tried to enter the same number a second time.